Metro train driver on track to local art success

Light-rail operator got his start with trains, but these days he often can be found in galleries

Houston mural artist Daniel Anguilu says he starts with circles when he makes a mural. Among his final touches are thick, spray-painted lines that give the mural a stained-glass look. Anguilus first used paint in his teen years, on buildings and rail cars. less

Houston mural artist Daniel Anguilu says he starts with circles when he makes a mural. Among his final touches are thick, spray-painted lines that give the mural a stained-glass look. Anguilus first used paint ... more

Photo: Nick De La Torre, Staff

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Houston mural artist Daniel Anguilu contemplates his mural "Clandestino," which is showing at the Station Museum of Contemporary Art.

Houston mural artist Daniel Anguilu contemplates his mural "Clandestino," which is showing at the Station Museum of Contemporary Art.

Photo: Nick De La Torre, Staff

Metro train driver on track to local art success

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Daniel Anguilu's art training, just about every step of the way, comes from trains.

But what started by tagging railcars has peaked in Houston with gallery shows, more mural work than he can handle, and a steady job operating a Metro light rail train that gives him a chance to scout out new opportunities.

"I know every wall I want to do along the rail line," Anguilu, 34, says with a laugh. "It's what I do."

His geometric murals are a familiar sight in Midtown. The bright, theologically inspired spires painted on the side of the Baha'i Center on Fannin are one of many examples of his colorful pieces. All are topped with thick, spray-painted lines, giving the murals a stained-glass appearance.

Anguilu's use of aerosol dates to his teenage years, honing his skills on buildings and railcars where, unlike today, he didn't exactly have permission.

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When he was about 16, Anguilu recalls, a friend touted his mimicry of a New York-based graffiti artist.

"He took me to the back of this building one day and said 'look what I did,' " Anguilu said. "From there, we just painted."

This wasn't merely grabbing Krylon spray paint and scribbling initials on the side of a boxcar. The images were complex and rooted in the local scene.

Looking back, with the art knowledge he has now, Anguilu says he was always around art. Born in Mexico City, home to a rich mural history, Anguilu moved to Houston with his family when he was 14. In the barrios, artists of one sort or another surrounded Anguilu. Urban street taggers and tattoo artists helped develop his style, he says.

But he wanted to go bigger, which led to his tagging of rail cars. The size enabled him room to expand. His skills gained him entry to a larger, broader underground community.

So has his art, to the chagrin of railroad officials. Though Anguilu has made the transition from the rail yard to the gallery, train operators warn would-be painters to stay away.

"We ask people to stay off of our property," said Raquel Espinoza, spokeswoman for Union Pacific Railroad in Texas. "The biggest concern for us is we don't want anyone to get hurt."

Anguilu has moved on, though he's stayed close to trains. Five years ago, he decided getting a steady job and placing roots in Houston was the way to mature as an artist. From his days hanging out in rail yards - uninvited or not - Anguilu developed a love of trains and train culture.

The job benefits his art pursuits, Anguilu explains. Train operators change schedules every four months, so he can adjust to working night and day hours around his current schedule. That allows him to spend part of the year working on a project with a youth group, for example, then transition back to his own mural work.